A Glimpse into the Future – Google’s Driverless Taxi Service

Here at Paton Tupper Digital, we’re always looking ahead, trying to imagine how developments and changes today are going to impact the world in the future. Retail, broadcast media, consumerism, travel and a myriad of other aspects of our lives are on the verge of changing unrecognisably due to the impact of tech and digital developments. And one advent that we’re very excited to follow, is the relationship between Uber and Google…

In case you’ve been too busy following the Kimye wedding and trying to keep up with the Kardashians, here’s a little context. Uber is a relatively new app that has taken the world by storm. As with the majority of the most successful tech developments, Uber has brought efficiency and style to a rather messy industry – the taxi industry.

Founded in Paris in 2012, Uber looked at the inefficiency of the existing taxi industry – thousands of cars driving around aimlessly around the city looking for fares who were standing indiscriminately around Paris looking for a ride. Uber asked the question, is there not a simpler and more efficient way to connect taxi and fare? Out of that question, the Uber app was born. Through a simple system using smartphones and the app, available taxis are able to very easily find fares nearest them and vice versa.

Uber has enjoyed a massive uptake, and has now spread globally, but the real eyebrow-raiser came when Google invested $250 million in the company. Note: they invested… This is a rare occurrence, as the tech giant usually just squires whatever it covets.

But what makes the Google/Uber link really interesting is one of Google’s side projects – Sergey Brin’s self-driving cars. When this technology reaches a certain point, Google will have the perfect combination of tech to create a driverless taxi service. It may sound futuristic, but imagine a world where self-driving cars, connected to the internet, respond to requests from humans needing a lift.

If it sounds like something out a sci-fi movie, that’s exactly what it is, but don’t be surprised if we have driverless taxi and delivery services getting rolled out by Google in the near future…